Magic and Mayhem
by sTicK SH33P
Summary: In the world of Harry Potter, Edward Elric is allowed into Hogwarts even after his failed attempt at human transmutation. Will he be able to find a way to get his brother's body back and learn magic at the same time? Based on the manga/Brotherhood.
1. The Letter

**Author's Note: Right, so this is my first fanfic. I know this idea's been used multiple times before, but I hope I can provide an original take on it. Let me know what you guys think. Hope ya'll enjoy the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. I do not have the creativity or patience to come up with such brilliant characters and worlds on my own. I merely borrow them and tweak them to fit my whims.**

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"_AL?!? ALPHONSE?!?" the boy screamed in despair looking around the small study wildly, the blood streaming from his missing leg ignored as he searched for some trace of brother. He pounded the ground with his fists. "Damn it! This shouldn't have happened! AL!" Tears of frustration, anger, and pain streamed down his face as his eyes roamed madly around the room until they stopped on his father's antique suit of armor. Hope and determination lit up his haggard face, and he quickly dragged himself over to the suit. He tore down a nearby tapestry and bandaged his still bleeding leg before heaving the armor into the center of the array drawn on the floor. "Damn it all! I won't lose you too!" the boy mumbled to himself as he used his own blood to draw a seal inside the armor. A blaze of light engulfed the room._

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Sitting on the hill holding the thick envelope in his hands, Ed breathed a small sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure whether he'd be allowed to continue to pursue magic after the scandal 2 years ago, but when the owl had dropped the heavy package in his lap and he saw the crest on the back, he knew it could only mean one thing. He wasn't sure he was entirely happy with it though.

"Brother? What is it? Are you in? Let me see!" Ed turned to the suit of armor behind him and held out the package silently. There was a fierce gleam in his eye as he watched his brother rip open the package and scan the sheaf of papers. A small piece of paper fell out, and Ed quickly grabbed it before it had a chance to blow away in the breeze. He glanced at the note clenched in his metal fist appreciatively. He had only recently gained back most of the dexterity of his real hand, and catching a small item was no longer a daunting task. He turned the note over and read it with a slight frown.

_Dear Mr. Elric,_

_I am pleased to extend my congratulations on your acceptance. This letter is to address certain questions that have arisen due to the events of past years. Your brother's condition has been made known to us and special considerations have been taken into account. I am sure you will be happy to know that he will be allowed to accompany you to school, although he will not be able to attend classes and is requested to refrain from excessive interactions with other students. We also believe that it would be for the best that you not to talk about the events of last year with other students. This is for his and your own protection. Also, I am to inform you that due to your demonstrations of advanced knowledge of some of the subject matter and your age, you are to be placed in both first and third-year level classes. However, due to outside concerns, the Alchemy course is strictly forbidden as one of your choices. As there as a number of other classes to choose from, this should not be an issue. Please indicate which third year level classes you will be taking from the list provided when you send your reply, and I will send a revised books and supplies list. _

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

"What's that?" Al asked curiously, glancing over Ed's shoulder.

"It's a note from some lady. She said you can come with me," Ed said, still looking at the note in a daze. All his doubts about leaving vanished and, he looked up at his brother's metal body with a new sense of purpose. "You know what this means? We can look for a way to get your body back together!"

Al's eyes glowed as he nodded. "Not just my body, yours too," he added. Ed stood with a noticeable creak from his metal leg.

"Speaking of which, remind me to ask Winry for some more oil," he grunted as he stretched. "Was there anything else interesting in the envelope?"

"Just the standard," replied Al as he shuffled through the papers he was holding. "Oh, here's the basic supplies you'll need." He held out the paper to Ed who snatched it eagerly. He scanned the list quickly.

"We have a lot of this stuff at home, but we're still going to have to go shopping. We'll have to wait until I pick the rest of my classes though." He sighed as folded up the list and stuck it in his pocket along with the other note. "This could get expensive." He started walking down the hill. "Well, suppose we shouldn't put it off any longer. Let's go tell Granny." The armor behind him shook his head as he hurried after his brother.

"You know, you could act a little happier," he said to his brother's back slightly accusingly as they cut across a field. Ed put his hands behind his head.

"I am happy," he said, flashing a grim smile over his shoulder at Al, "but I have more important things to think about right now." Al sighed.

"You don't have to bear the entire burden, brother. I'm okay with what I am for the time being. Have fun. Just because I can't enjoy normal life doesn't mean you shouldn't." Al almost ran into Ed as he came to a sudden stop in front of him. He took a step back as Ed glared up at him.

"It's my fault you're stuck in that tin can in the first place," he growled fiercely. "I can't enjoy myself until I get your body back. That's all I care about." He spun abruptly and stalked off, leaving Al to catch up.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Al called, his metal body creaking loudly as he began to jog.

*CLANG* Al fell over as a wrench collided with his head.

"What has Granny told you about running around outside, you idiot! You stick out like a sore thumb and it's not like we can explain it away easily! Honestly, don't you two use your heads at all?" Al looked up into a pair of furious blue eyes.

"Uhhhh…"

"How are we supposed to use our heads if you keep chucking your freakin' wrenches at them, Ed asked. He had turned around, alarmed, when he heard the clang of Al's armor but relaxed upon seeing the blond haired girl. Winry turned her furious gaze on Ed who just raised a quizzical eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest.

"I wouldn't chuck wrenches at you if you weren't such an idiot, idiot!" she yelled, picking up the wrench she had thrown at Al.

"Who's sticking out like a sore thumb now?" Ed muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. He ducked as Winry glared at him, wrench raised threateningly. Al intervened, quickly stepping between the two before an all out fight could break out.

"Ummm, was there something you needed, Winry?" he asked, hands raised placatingly. Winry scowled at him.

"Granny told me to come find you guys and tell you that dinner's ready," she said jerking her hand back over her shoulder to the only house visible in the area. "There's a big glass of milk on the table with your name on it," she added, peering around Al and smiling evilly at Ed, who gagged.

"There is no way in hell I'm drinking that foul liquid," he grumbled, beginning to walk towards the house.

"That's why you'll always be so short!" Winry yelled after him. Ed paused.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THEM WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS?!?" he shouted turning around to face Winry once again. Al just shook his head and sighed as the shouting match broke out. He idly flipped through the papers in his hand once more, rereading them.

"What are those?" Winry asked curiously coming up to him. The argument had ended with Ed writhing on the ground holding his dented head. Al just handed her the envelope, and Winry sobered immediately. She glanced over at Ed.

"You're leaving?" she asked quietly. Ed got to his feet slowly.

"Yeah," he replied, running a hand through his hair and looking at the ground. "Al too." He took the note out of his pocket and handed it to her. Winry read it silently.

"So, you can both go? That's great!" she said cheerfully, handing the note back to Ed. "Granny will be thrilled you got in. She was really worried," she added, speaking quickly. "We should go tell her!" She set off at a brisk walk towards the house, leaving Ed and Al to watch her go with blank looks.

"That was kinda weird," Ed commented as he and Al set off after Winry.

"I think she's a little upset," Al replied, matching his stride to his brother's. "We will both be leaving after all. She'll probably miss us, especially you."

"I suppose so," Ed said, thinking. "Hey, wait a minute, what do you mean especially me?" he demanded, glaring at the suit of armor. Al shook his head.

"You haven't noticed? Honestly, brother, sometimes you're so dense." They reached the house before Ed could question this baffling statement. The two brothers were met at the door by an old lady smoking a pipe.

"What have I told you two about wandering off?" she asked mildly, blowing a smoke ring. "The Ministry only allowed me to take you in under certain conditions, you know, but you two seem intent on breaking every one of them." She sighed. Ed scowled mulishly at the sky with his arms across his chest while Al shuffled awkwardly.

"Sorry, Granny," Al said after a moment. Pinako nodded her acceptance. She knew there would be no apology from Ed.

"Dinner's on the table," she declared, opening the door for them to enter. "Hurry up." She smiled as Ed sprinted for the table and began stuffing his face. Winry began eating quietly across from him.

"Don't forget to drink your milk," Pinako added as she and Al sat at the table. Ed glared at the glass in front of him the entire meal, but in the end was forced to drink it.

"So, is anyone going to tell me what's in the envelope?" Pinako asked after everyone had finished eating. Al pushed it across the table to her. She picked it up, looking at the crest on the back, and raised her eyebrows.

"Hmph, so you're off to Hogwarts now, are you?"

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**A/N: Well, this turned out a lot longer than expected. Anyway, I'll try to update again sometime this month. Review if you want, or not. I'll keep writing either way.**


	2. Escort

**Author's Note: Hope ya'll enjoy chapter two.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned either Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter, I would not be writing a fanfiction, now would I?**

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"If he doesn't get here soon, I'm going in without him. It's not like I need a chaperone anyway," Ed muttered to himself, his fingers drumming impatiently on the table. Across from him, Pinako sighed as she lit her pipe.

"We just got here, Ed. The least you could do is have a little patience," she said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Plus, it's standard practice to have someone from the school accompany you to pick up your things if no adult in the family is magical." Next to her, Winry sat with her head resting in the palm of her hand, her arm propped up on the table. A slight frown crossed her face as Ed continued fidgeting and mumbling darkly to himself. She glanced around the rest of the Leaky Cauldron, bored. This early in the morning, there weren't a lot of people to distract her. The old, bald bartender was cleaning the counter, exchanging a few low words with a young man in tattered brown robes who seemed to be starting his drinking early. In the corner opposite of them was a group of old witches with shopping bags enjoying what looked like tea. Next to her, her grandmother had begun contentedly blowing smoke rings. Winry watched them float away for a few seconds, then turned her gaze back to Ed.

"Who are we supposed to be meeting again?" she asked, trying to distract Ed from his annoying drumming on the table. Ed scowled and pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his red jacket.

"It just says, 'As there is no one of magical abilities present in your household, an employee of the school will be sent to accompany you to Diagon Alley to pick up your school supplies. Please arrive at the Leaky Cauldron promptly at eight to meet your escort,'" he read in a bored tone. He stuffed the note back in his pocket. "It hasn't been so long since I've been here that I need a stupid babysitter to hold my hand and show me around like a three-year old!" he hissed angrily, directing his last statement in Pinako's direction. Winry froze at his words. The only times Ed had been to Diagon Alley were when her parents had taken all of the kids as a treat.

"I'm sure my son and his wife would have gladly taken you, Winry, and Al here again," Pinako stated drily. Ed's face turned red as he realized what he'd said, but Pinako continued like she didn't notice. "Unfortunately, they're dead, your father's gone, and I have no magical ability to speak of; so you'll just have to put up with someone from the school for a few hours. I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way." She blew another smoke ring into the air above Ed's head as he stared at the table, ashamed. "You're going to need to watch that temper of yours, Ed," she said seriously, glancing at Winry whose lower lip was trembling. "Words can hurt people just as much as curses." Ed looked up at Winry and mumbled what sounded like an apology, but his words were lost in the crash of the bar door slamming open. A tall woman with dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail stood in the doorway, her white robe blinding in the sudden burst of sunlight from outside. She shut the door slightly more gently behind her as she entered and scanned the room, frowning.

"You, kid!" she said, pointing at Ed, "Let's go! I want to get this over with as soon as possible." Pinako smiled to herself at Ed's dumbstruck look. The woman's frown deepened as he remained seated, and she marched over to the table.

"Are you or are you not Edward Elric?" she demanded, hands on her hips. Ed nodded and scooted as far away from the frightening lady as his chair would allow.

"That didn't answer my question, shrimp," the woman said, folding her arms over her chest. "You'll have to speak up."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL A PIECE OF PAPER COULD CRUSH HIM?!?" Ed yelled angrily, face red as he glared at the woman in front of him who just smiled at his outburst.

"Oh, so the shrimp does talk? That's good. I was starting to think this trip was going to be more of a headache than it already is." Ed's eyes flashed dangerously at the second use of the word "shrimp," and he opened his mouth to start yelling again.

"Oh, no more of that if you please," the woman stated calmly, still smiling as she took out her wand. "Silencio!" Ed's mouth moved animatedly, but no sound emerged. Winry giggled at the look on Ed's rapidly reddening face as he continued to try and shout. The woman nodded. "There, now we can have a civil conversation." She took a seat in the chair next to Ed, who looked ready to commit murder. "I am Professor Izumi Curtis, sent here to assist one Edward Elric in obtaining his school supplies as there is no adult with magical abilities present in his current household," she rattled off quickly and without inflection as if she had memorized the line. She looked at the old woman across from her and asked in a more normal tone of voice, "You are his guardian, I presume?" Pinako nodded.

"Pinako Rockbell." She inclined her head towards Winry, "And my granddaughter, Winry Rockbell." She grinned. "Obviously, you've met Ed. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Izumi responded, shaking the older woman's hand. "Now to get down to business." She turned to Ed, who was gasping for air. "Are you done?" Ed just glared at her. Izumi sighed, a small frown on her face. "Don't make me petrify you completely, boy. I have more important things to do today than babysit a block of wood. A simple nod will suffice." Pinako snorted and Winry giggled at her words. Ed glared at the teacher for a moment longer, then gave a short nod. Izumi pointed her wand at him once more, "Finite." Ed continued to scowl at the woman next to him but wisely remained silent. Izumi nodded in approval. "Good, glad we straightened that out. Now, do you have your supply list?" Ed pulled another crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Izumi.

"What do you teach, Ms. Curtis?" Winry asked curiously as the woman scanned the paper quickly.

"Hmmm?" she replied distractedly. "Oh, Defense Against the Dark Arts mostly. I tutor students in a few other things as well." She folded the list neatly and handed it back to Ed. "Well, it looks like our first stop will be Gringotts. I don't suppose you have an account set up yet?" Ed shook his head.

"Actually you do," Pinako interjected. "You can withdraw money from your father's account."

"I don't need any of that bastard's money!" Ed hissed angrily. Izumi looked mildly surprised.

"I was not aware that his father was a wizard. Well, this should make things a bit easier," she said. Ed shot another glare at her.

"I told you; I refuse to use any of his money," he declared, folding his arms over his chest. Pinako and Winry both sighed at his stubbornness.

"Ed's father abandoned his family when Ed was little," Pinako stated for Izumi's benefit, trying to be helpful.

"_Damn Severus_. _I am going to kill him when I get back. Next time he can take care of his own damn charges," _Izumi thought to herself as the scowling youth in front of her watched her with molten eyes, daring her to contradict him. "So why won't you use perfectly good money?" she asked out loud with what she thought was admirable patience though annoyance began creeping into her tone.

"I don't need help from the likes of him!" Edward replied, pounding the table with his fist. Izumi's eyes widened infinitesimally. "I can do just fine on my own!" Pinako snorted and began to cough. Ed scowled at her.

"The school does have a fund set up for students who need it," Izumi said irritably. "I suppose one could be set up for you if you insist on paying for your entire schooling on your own." Ed opened his mouth to talk, but Izumi held up a hand to stop him. "However, I will have to assess how much money you have access to. We can't cheat other students out of financial aid just because you're too stupid to use what your father left you. So, Gringotts is still our first stop." She scooted her chair back and stood up, forcing a polite smile. "Shall we proceed?" Pinako put out her pipe as she and Winry stood as well. Only Ed remained seated. Izumi stood over him with her hands on her hips. "I am on a rather strict schedule, boy, if you don't mind," she said acidly.

"Well, whose fault is that?" Ed questioned mulishly. "You're the one who was late." Izumi's eyes flashed dangerously, and she pulled out her wand. Ed stayed in his seat, his attitude daring her to use magic on him again.

"_Oh, this won't due at all_," Izumi thought to herself. Before Ed could blink, she grabbed him and threw him upside down into a table across the room with a crash. The old witches in the corner screamed, but the bartender continued to clean the counter as if this was an everyday occurrence. Pinako and Winry stared silently for a moment, shocked, then burst into laughter at the stunned look on Ed's face. Izumi stalked across the room until she was standing over Ed. She leaned over until their faces were inches apart. "I am just as proficient without magic as I am with it. So, when I give instructions, I will expect them to be obeyed in a prompt manner. Do I make myself clear?" she growled. Ed nodded quickly, eyes wide. Izumi nodded as she turned away. "Good."

"You didn't give an instruction," she heard muttered behind her. She turned back around to see Ed picking himself up gingerly from the wreckage of the table.

"Did you say something?" she asked, smiling threateningly.

"'Shall we proceed?' is a question, not an instruction." Ed just scowled at her again as he brushed himself off. The side of Izumi's mouth quirked upwards involuntarily.

"_After all that, he's still arguing?_" she thought, amused in spite of it all. She stared thoughtfully at Ed, truly looking at him for the first time.

"What?" Ed asked, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. Izumi just shook her head as she fixed the table.

"You've got guts, kid. I have to give you that," she stated, smiling slightly and cuffing him lightly on the head. "Now, move!"

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**A/N: I wrote this pretty quickly, quickly for me anyways. I'll try to update again soon, but no promises.**


	3. Gringotts

**Author's Note: Right, so the month of January is coming to a close which means my second semester goes into full swing. Yipee for me... Anyway, I most likely will not be updating 3 times a month as I tend to make all this up as I go along and I will not have much time to breathe, let alone think about storylines, for the next 4 months. So, updates will be erratic at best, though I will get at least one a month and will shoot for more. Just thought ya'll would like to know. Enjoy the next chapter! (Oh and I promise that things will start to get more interesting soon.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. If I did, they would most likely be very different, which would be bad. I like them the way they are.**

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It had been a long time since Ed had last seen Diagon Alley; he had forgotten how exciting the magical world was. The market was just waking up for the morning with wizards and witches in robes of all colors of the rainbow opening shops and setting up the day's displays, calling out good mornings to each other cheerfully. Ed wished he had more time to stop and look around, but his escort kept up a brisk pace and she had expressly told him to keep up. He was not tempted to risk her wrath again. However, he couldn't help himself as he passed the bookstore. He hesitated and glanced enviously at the piles of books stacked to the ceiling.

"Have you been to Diagon Alley before?" Izumi enquired, noticing his interest in the bookstore. Ed dragged his eyes away from the tempting books as they continued walking.

"Yeah, Mr. and Mrs. Rockbell used to take all us kids here once in a while when we were little. It's been a long time though," he replied quietly, glancing over his shoulder at Winry. She smiled and shook her head at his concerned look.

"Rockbell?" Izumi asked, surprised. She turned to Pinako. "Relatives of yours, I presume?" Pinako nodded.

"My son and his wife, Winry's parents, were both doctors at St. Mungo's," she explained. Glancing over at Winry who remained quiet, she continued, "Magic runs rather erratically through my family. My parents and my son had fairly strong gifts while Winry and I don't even have enough of a spark to warrant attention."

"I'm sorry," Izumi said sympathetically. Pinako just shrugged.

"Being a Squib doesn't bother me too much." She jerked her thumb in Ed's direction. "Him and his brother give me enough trouble as it is. More magic would just complicate things." Izumi smiled at her words and nodded.

"It does have a way of doing that," she said as they walked up the steps to the bronze doors that marked the Gringotts entrance. The goblin standing outside bowed them inside. Ed glanced at the warning on the next set of doors they came to and shuddered slightly. He and Al had once speculated about what would happen to a person who tried to rob Gringotts. None of their ideas were ever pleasant. This time, a pair of goblins bowed them through into the main hall which bustled with activity even though there were few customers at this time of day. Izumi marched up to the counter.

"Good morning, we've come to check the contents of one Mr. Edward Elric's account, if you please," she said to a free goblin. The goblin peered at her over his thin glasses.

"Do you have a key, ma'am?"

"No, I'm just his escort." Izumi looked over at Ed who began searching his pockets. Pinako shook her head and addressed the goblin herself.

"The account should be under the name 'Van Hoenheim' and provisions should have already been made through the bank concerning Edward and Alphonse Elric's access to his account." The goblin took out a large dusty tome and began leafing through it silently, running his thin fingers down the pages. He apparently found what he was looking for as he nodded, took out a small gold key, and held it out to Ed.

"Your key, sir," he intoned monotonously. "Your access to this account is unlimited. You may withdraw as much as you like." Ed scowled and almost refused the key, but a glare from Izumi changed his mind. Pinako took out a similar looking key.

"I would also like to make a withdrawal from the Rockbell safe," she added. The goblin peered at the key closely and nodded, calling over two goblins.

"Karnok will take you to your safe." One of the goblins stepped forward. "And Griphook will take the Mr. Elric and his escort." Ed paled at the goblin's words.

"W-wait a minute," he stammered out, gazing pleadingly at Pinako and Winry. "You can't just leave me alone with the crazy lady!" Izumi raised an eyebrow at his statement but said nothing. Pinako just waved off Ed's whining.

"Winry and I have errands of our own to attend to. We'll meet up with you later," she said, grinning at the horrified look on Ed's face. "Now, behave yourself." Ed watched in dismay as she and Winry followed their goblin to a door at the far end of the hall.

"Have fun, Ed!" Winry called teasingly as they passed through the door. Ed scowled as he watched them disappear, not noticing that the other goblin was waiting impatiently. He flinched as Izumi grabbed his arm.

"The crazy lady requests your presence, Mr. Elric," she announced, smiling thinly as she dragged him over to the goblin. "Now, stop moping and start moving!" She nodded to Griphook who led them through a door behind the desk. Ed looked around in some amazement. He had never been anywhere but the main hall of Gringotts, but he had expected the back to look much the same. Instead, they were in a low torch-lit tunnel next to what looked like a pair of railroad tracks that disappeared into the darkness further on. The goblin whistled and a cart slid to a screeching halt in front of him. Izumi eyed the cart distastefully as the goblin climbed in.

"I hate these damn things," Ed heard her mutter as she stepped in. He hesitated before quickly clambering in after her. His escort's eyes seemed to glint even more dangerously in the torch light.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Ed asked, examining the cart critically. He received no reply as the cart in question took off, leaving his stomach at the door. The cart hurtled along the tracks deep into a maze of caverns that Ed struggled to remember even as he held on for dear life. Squinting his eyes against the stinging cold air, he looked back at Izumi who was coughing into a handkerchief, her face pale. Even in the dim light, Ed could see what looked like blood.

"Are you all right?" he yelled over the noise of the cart, concerned in spite of himself. Izumi nodded and tucked the handkerchief away, her face held in a tight grimace until the cart lurched to a stop in front of a small door set into the wall on their right.

"The carts always upset my stomach a bit," she explained as they climbed out. Ed glanced at her skeptically; people didn't cough up blood from an upset stomach, but he just nodded and followed the goblin up to the door.

"The key, if you please," Griphook asked, holding out his hand. Ed dug around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out the key and handing it to goblin. Griphook unlocked the door and stepped to the side as a jet of smoke came billowing out.

"What the hell was that?!?" Ed spluttered, coughing as he glared at the creature. The goblin shrugged.

"Merely a precaution," he replied as he pushed the door fully open. All thoughts on the smoke vanished from Ed's mind as his jaw dropped at the spectacle before him. The room was nearly overflowing with gold coins with a healthy mixture of silver and bronze added in for good measure. He felt rather than saw Izumi come up behind him; he couldn't tear his eyes away from the glittering piles. The teacher clapped a hand firmly onto his shoulder.

"You do realize this means you will be paying for your supplies."

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**A/N: I apologize for this chapter being a bit shorter than the others. I just felt this was a good place to stop. ****I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter either. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers I suppose. **Thanks for reading!


	4. Diagon Alley

**Author's Note: Hello again! Well, as it turns out, I didn't actually have school this week, a fact of which I was not aware when I wrote the last chapter. Maybe I should actually listen when people talk around me… Anyway, here's the next chapter! For some odd reason, this was really hard to write, but it was really fun at the same time. Hope ya'll enjoy it as much as I did! (Oh, and for the purposes of this story, I consider the sorcerer's stone and philosopher's stone to be different. I apologize in advance to people who have read the British version of Harry Potter. I don't know why Americans felt the need to change it either…)**

**Disclaimer: I am not Japanese, and while I technically could claim to be British, I don't.**

Ed exited Gringotts in a daze. He had never seen so much money in his entire life, and it was all his for the taking. Izumi gazed at him in exasperation and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hey kid! Snap out of it! And while you're at it, carry your own damn money." She thrust the heavy bag of coins she had taken out of the vault into Ed's hands. He woke up a little at that and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Hmph, if a pile of gold's enough to set your head spinning, you need to get out more," Izumi commented, slightly amused at his reaction. Ed scowled up at her.

"It's not that. That bastard never told us he had this much money stored away. If I had known about it earlier, maybe I could've gotten mom some help when she was sick. The me and Al wouldn't have—" He shut his traitorous mouth quickly. _"Damn," _he thought. _"Maybe that gold is getting to my head."_ Izumi looked at him sharply.

"Wouldn't have what?" she asked. Ed just shook his head and began walking down the street.

"It's none of your business," he growled, angry at himself for saying anything. Izumi fell in step beside him, a thoughtful look on her face.

"By the way, where is your brother?" she asked nonchalantly. "You said you hadn't been to Diagon Alley in a long time. I can't imagine why he would want to miss out, especially considering both Winry and Mrs. Rockbell came along as well." Ed glanced at her in some surprise.

"_They didn't tell her?"_ he thought, both confused and relieved as he tried to come up with a good excuse for Al's absence. "Ummm, he hasn't been feeling too good for a while, so he decided to stay home and rest," he improvised quickly, running a hand through his hair nervously. Izumi shot him a skeptical look.

"I see," she said in a tone that told Ed she didn't believe a word he said.

"Where are we going next?" he asked, hurriedly changing the subject before she could ask anymore difficult questions. Izumi sighed and shook her head at his obvious attempt, but took the hint.

"Might as well get your robes first. Madame Malkin's is closest." She pointed to the store a few doors down. Ed nodded his acquiescence, and they made their way in that direction. By this time there were quite a few shoppers walking around the alley causing Ed's head to spin as he took in all the color and noise. He was glad to reach the comparative quiet of the robe shop. "I'll be in Flourish and Blott's next door if you need me," Izumi stated as she waved him in. Ed didn't even have time to open his mouth to complain before a short witch dressed all in mauve came smiling up to him.

"I'm Madame Malkin, dearie," she said cheerfully. "You're off to Hogwarts, I suppose?" Ed nodded mutely as she grabbed his arm and bustled him into the back of the shop. Another boy was already being fitted. His eyes crinkled in amusement behind the rectangular glasses he wore as he watched Ed being bustled onto the stool next to him.

"Yo," he offered by way of greeting, raising his hand in a casual wave that caused the woman busily pinning his robes to shoot him an irritated glare. Ed scowled, though the effect was somewhat lessened as Madame Malkin dropped a robe over his head. Ed felt like he was drowning in fabric.

"Why the hell do we have to wear these things?" he spluttered angrily as he pulled it down. The black-haired boy on the stool next to him chuckled.

"You sound just like my friend. He can't stand the things. It's so bad that he won't even set foot in this shop." He sighed theatrically. "Thus it falls to me to obtain both our sets of robes." He shook his head sadly. "It's the curse of being a good friend and being the same height, I suppose." A wicked grin crossed his face at this point. "Though I must say, I believe hot pink will be a very good color for him." Ed laughed at this, feeling slightly sorry for the boy's friend. The boy grinned again and held out his hand. "The name's Hughes, Maes Hughes. What's yours?" Ed shifted awkwardly on the stool and shook his hand.

"Edward Elric, but just call me Ed," he responded, rolling his eyes as Madame Malkin tugged him patiently back into position. Maes nodded amiably as he stepped off the stool, finished.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around then!" he called back cheerfully as he left the store. "Oh! And next time, I'll show you some pictures! It'll be great!" He cackled as he waved again and was gone, leaving Ed to stare blankly after him.

"That kid was seriously weird," he muttered to himself as he shook his head. Madame Malkin patted his arm.

"You're all done too, my dear." Ed stepped off the stool gratefully and headed next door after paying for and obtaining his robes.

When he stepped inside Flourish and Blotts, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. The store was filled with books on all subjects from Alchemy to Zoology, the shelves full from the floor to the ceiling. Ed quickly gathered together his school books in a pile, then wandered the store leisurely, picking books up here and there and browsing through them, fascinated. He eventually found himself in the alchemy section where he picked up a particularly large book and flipped casually through it. One section caught his eye, and he began to read quickly.

_The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform—_

"There you are, kid!" a familiar and very exasperated voice exclaimed behind him. Ed shut the book with a thud and turned around to face his very irritated-looking escort. "I've been looking all over for you!" Ed shrugged.

"I was here the entire time. It's not my problem you couldn't find me." Izumi raised an eyebrow at him.

"Isn't it? Maybe if you weren't so short, I'd be able to see you over a stack of books," she commented drily. Ed face reddened and he opened his mouth to shout, but Izumi forestalled his outburst by reminding him that a stack of falling books was _extremely _heavy. After he had picked himself up from the pile of books, Ed, still fuming but now silently, gathered together his school books and the large tome he had found in the Alchemy section and followed his escort out of the store.

"Where to now?" he asked sullenly.

"You still need some Potions supplies," Izumi responded. "Do you already have a cauldron?" Ed nodded. "Good. Oh—" Izumi reached into her robe and pulled out a large knife and tossed it to Ed who nearly dropped all his packages as he caught it. At least it was sheathed. "You're going to need that if you want to survive my class." She began walking quickly down the alley. Ed had to jog to catch up.

"Don't you mean pass?" he asked with a sinking feeling, trying to shift his packages into a more comfortable position. Izumi grinned down at him all too cheerfully for Ed's liking.

"If I had meant pass, I would have said 'pass,'" she said as they passed the Quidditch store. A loud voice interrupted Ed's dark musings about the meaning of his escort's words.

"For the love of God, Hughes! Will you shut up about your girlfriend already?" a boy with short messy black hair yelled in exasperation at the kid from the dress shop, who was holding up a bunch of photos with a hurt look on his face. The blond girl standing between the two just shook her head and turned back to the display window. Izumi ignored the disturbance and kept up a brisk pace, causing Ed to miss the rest of the interesting spectacle. By the time they finished getting his Potions supplies at the Apothecary, the weird guy and his friends had disappeared.

"Please tell me we're almost done?" Ed pleaded as he staggered under the weight of his packages. Izumi nodded.

"We just have Ollivander's left, best place for wands in all Europe if you ask me, though Ollivander himself is a bit odd," she stated as they walked back down the alley for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"_Odd is an understatement,"_ Ed thought as he glanced at the old man's large pale eyes as they seemed to look right through him.

"Edward Elric," the man said softly. Ed jumped.

"_How does he know my name?" _The old man gazed at him a moment more, and Ed wished he'd blink or _something_ besides just stare at him.

"Hmmm," Ollivander said finally, breaking the silence. "You look much like your father." Ed bristled at the man's words but a glare from Izumi kept him silent as Ollivander continued. "Fir. Fifteen inches with a phoenix feather core. Not much to look at but very powerful. A good wand." He glanced up at Izumi. "A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Curtis. A rather curious wand if I recall. Cypress. Thirteen and a quarter inches with a unicorn hair core. A particularly fine unicorn at that. Quite a bit of power as well, though much more flashy." The man turned his gaze back to Ed. "I digress though, which is your wand arm?" He took out a long measuring tape with silver markings out of his pocket.

"Ummm, well I can use both hands about equally," Ed answered, shrugging sheepishly.

"Indeed?" the old man responded, giving him that piercing look once again. "That changes some things. Very well, hold out both arms." He began measuring Ed top to bottom, lecturing as he did so on the properties of wands. Ed zoned out after a few seconds. He didn't even realize that Ollivander had stopped measuring him until a wand was thrust under his nose. "Try this one," the old man commanded. "Aspen and dragon heartstring. Twelve inches. Nice and flexible." Ed took with his left hand and had it snatched away almost instantly and replaced with another. "Holly and phoenix feather. Eleven inches. Nice and supple." This one too was replaced almost instantly. The cycle repeated itself numerous times, but the old man seemed to enjoy the challenge.

"Here, try this one." He thrust another wand into Ed's face. "An unusual combination. One I don't have reason to pull out much. Elm and chimera heartstring. Nine and a quarter inches. Rigid yet flexible at the same time. Very volatile." Ed grabbed the wand with his right hand this time as his left had grown tired. He was not expecting the surge of electricity that surged up his arm, causing the nerves to spasm as brilliant red and blue sparks erupted from the wand to go flying about the shop. Ollivander smiled.

"Well, there you have it, your wand."

**A/N: Hooray for new characters! Expect to see more of them. Anyway, in case anyone's wondering (which I seriously doubt, but I'm going to put it anyway), I did look up wand stuff on the internet as I was reading this. It's actually really interesting. The length of the wand is indicative of height and the type of wood is based on a character's birthday. Although I don't know the FMA characters' birthdays so I just went with symbolism.**

**Hoenheim's wand= fir = immortality**

**Izumi's wand= cypress = understanding the role of sacrifice**

**Ed's wand= elm = strength of will/determination**

**So, enough of the lesson, thanks for reading!**


	5. Hogwarts Express

**Author's Note: Chemistry is running/ruining my life. Pick your favorite verb. Either one applies. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please excuse the long delay and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. I don't even own the Harry Potter books. I had to borrow them from my aunt, and all my Fullmetal Alchemist manga are in storage. *sigh***

* * *

The old man closed his eyes behind his half-moon glasses and steepled his hands together as he sat behind his desk, thinking. A pounding on the door dragged him back into the present. Dumbledore smiled to himself.

"Come in," he called pleasantly as he waved his hand at the door. A tall woman with dreadlocks stormed in, eyes furious. "Ah, Izumi, how are you today?" Dumbledore said, smiling gently through his extensive white beard.

"Edward Elric," Izumi snarled. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid that I haven't had a chance to read up on the language you young people use nowadays. Is this some new condition that I'm not aware of?" he questioned, still smiling, with a twinkle in his eye. "Incidentally, I am doing quite well today, thank you for asking."

"I do not care how you are doing," Izumi enunciated through clenched teeth. "What I care about is what is wrong with Edward Elric." Dumbledore frowned slightly, folding his hands on top of the desk.

"I take it you have met the child, then," he stated. Izumi gave a terse nod of assent.

"I was his escort to Diagon Alley," she said stiffly.

"Odd, I had specifically assigned that task to Severus," Dumbledore murmured thoughtfully, stroking his beard. His sharp gazed made Izumi feel like she was a misbehaving student once more. She looked away.

"As much as I may dislike the man personally, I owe him a lot," she muttered. I offered to take his charges this year as a way of paying him back."

"I see," Dumbledore nodded, his gaze softening. He motioned Izumi to the chair in front of his desk before leaning back in his own. "What do you know about the Elric boy?" Izumi sighed as she sat down on the edge of the seat.

"Honestly? I don't know what to make of the boy. From what I've seen, he's temperamental, stubborn, secretive, and he doesn't react well to authority," she stated. "But that's not what scares me. His level of potential is…astounding to say the least.

"He is much the same as you were when you were a child," Dumbledore supplied. Izumi gave a hoarse laugh, her eyes filled with pain.

"And look what good that all did me." She descended into a fit of coughing, doubled over as she gagged blood. Dumbledore watched in concern, conjuring up a glass of water once she had managed to catch her breath. Izumi ignored the water as she gazed pleadingly up into Dumbledore's face.

"That boy has a fake arm and leg. Please tell me he didn't make the same mistake I did, that there isn't someone else in this world with that level of power and stupidity."

Dumbledore sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, remaining silent for the moment. After what seemed an eternity, he spoke. "I do not know exactly what happened. I believe only the Elric brothers themselves could tell you that."

"Brothers? You mean they were both involved in this?" Izumi covered her face with her hands. "I'm such a fool. I should've suspected when he told me his brother stayed home sick." Dumbledore nodded gravely.

"Their lives have been hard, and I believe they will only get harder before they get better, if they get better." Dumbledore smiled gently. "That is why we must help them along." Izumi sighed as she sat up straighter, a small smile crossing her lips.

"Have you met the kid? He doesn't need help. What he needs is a good smack upside the head to knock some sense into his brain."

* * *

"For heaven's sake, you two! Will you please try to keep up?" Pinako called over her shoulder as she walked briskly through the train station. "Ed's going to miss the train!" Ed shot an irritated glance her way.

"You're not the one hauling a huge freakin' trunk through the station now are you?" he muttered rebelliously to himself, "while at the same time trying to get this stupid owl to SHUT UP!" He yelled the last two words at the excited barn owl perched precariously on top of his trunk. Winry shot him a disapproving frown as she walked quickly beside him.

"You shouldn't yell at him, poor thing! He's just nervous," she lectured, gathering the bird's cage up in her arms.

"Of all the things you could get me as a gift, you chose a ruddy owl," Ed mumbled darkly, shaking his head. Winry glared at him.

"Well excuse me for thinking of you!" she yelled in exasperation, causing the owl in her arms to screech even louder. "I thought you might like to write home once in a while, but if that's how you feel about it, I'll just keep him for myself! At least I'll have the decency to give him a proper name, instead of just 'Owl.'" She trotted to catch up with Pinako, the owl's cage bouncing in her grip. Ed sighed as he tried to push the heavy cart faster. He nearly ran Pinako over when she stopped abruptly in front of a blank wall between platforms nine and ten.

"Here we are," she announced, grabbing hold of Ed and Winry. Before they could protest, she shoved them through the solid wall, following with the cart. She walked briskly past where they were sitting on the ground, stunned. "Hurry up!" she commanded, weaving her way through the people, animals, and smoke toward the scarlet train up ahead.

"Here, I can carry him now," Ed offered, holding out his hand toward the owl's cage as he stood up. Winry shook her head.

"You have to give him a name first. Otherwise I'm keeping him," she said stubbornly.

"We don't have time for this!" Ed yelled in irritation, trying unsuccessfully to wrench the cage out of Winry's grasp. Stubborn gold eyes met equally stubborn blue ones. Ed threw his hands up in exasperation. "Fine! His name's…Icarus. Happy now?" Winry smiled in triumph, catching him off guard as she thrust the cage into his arms, Icarus hooting his protestations at the treatment.

"Yes," she said simply. She took hold of his now occupied arm and towed him through the thinning crowd toward where Pinako was waiting impatiently beside the train. Ed hauled his trunk and Icarus' cage up onto the train and placed them in the corner of an empty compartment before climbing back down to say goodbye. All across the platform, others were doing the same. Pinako gave him a hug, eyes slightly moist.

"Al's in the baggage compartment at the end of the train," she said into his ear as she let him go, the din of the train's whistle nearly blocking out her words. Ed nodded in thanks and stumbled backwards from Winry's fierce hug. Face red, he returned the hug.

"I'll miss you guys," Winry whispered, sniffing into his red jacket. She let go abruptly, wiping a sleeve across her eyes as Ed walked back to the train, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets. "Don't forget to write!" Winry called after him, waving enthusiastically. Ed raised a hand in acknowledgement, disappearing onto the train without a backwards glance. The train whistle peeled ear-splittingly once more as Pinako and Winry watched the train leave the station, students hanging out of the windows waving to their parents on the platform.

"Heh," Pinako commented, placing a comforting hand around Winry's shoulders, "What will I do with all the peace and quiet around the house now?"

* * *

Ed ignored the wild antics of the other passengers and headed straight for the relative privacy of his compartment.

"It's just you, me, and Al now," he told the owl as he moved Icarus' cage so he had a view of the country racing by. Icarus hooted softly before promptly closing his eyes and going to sleep. Ed rolled his eyes. "You would," he commented drily before sitting down. Before long, he was stretched out on the seat, fast asleep and snoring loudly. Not even the colorful entrance of a small group of students pulling trunks was enough to wake him.

"What do you think we should do?" the blond haired boy mumbled around the toothpick in his mouth, looking down at Ed curiously. The slightly heavyset boy next to him shrugged, as a tall grey-haired boy poked Ed cautiously. A small black-haired boy with glasses peered over his shoulder.

"Ummm…Should we try to wake him up or something, Jean?" he asked timidly, turning toward the blond-haired boy. Havoc scratched his head.

"I suppose so." He nudged the grey-haired boy with his foot. "You do it, Falman." The boy's face fell.

"Why me? I already have enough people annoyed at me thanks to you." Havoc nodded thoughtfully.

"True." He turned to the heavyset boy. "You wanna have a go, Breda?" he asked nodding down towards Ed. Breda shook his head.

"Nuh-uh, I'm with Falman on this one. I don't need more enemies, thanks."

"Oh come on you guys! Where's your sense of fun? He's obviously a first-year. He's not going to hold a grudge just because we woke him up from a nap! Fuery?" He glanced at his bespectacled friend who just waved his hands frantically with an alarmed expression on his face. Havoc sighed. I guess it can't be helped," he shrugged. "If you want something done, do it yourself. So,… any bets on how long it takes Mustang to kick him out?" The door to the compartment slid open with a bang.

"—And here's me and Gracia at the beach, doesn't she look perfectly adorable in her swimsuit, Roy?" a tall black-haired boy with rectangular glasses gushed as he held up a stack of photos in front of his friend, who swatted them away irritably.

"For the final time, yes! You've shown me the same pictures a hundred times, Hughes! They haven't changed since the first time you showed me, let alone the last time. Will you please shut up now?" Mustang muttered in exasperation, rolling his eyes and running a hand through his already messy black hair. The two stopped abruptly as they saw Edward, still sleeping soundly on the seat. The four boys scattered around him waved sheepishly.

"Who's the kid, and what's he doing in here?" Mustang asked. Havoc shrugged blithely.

"Dunno, he was here before we were. We were trying to get him to leave, but he won't wake up." Mustang's eyes narrowed as he walked over to Ed, frowning. He nudged Ed none too gently with his foot.

"Oy! Pipsqueak! This is our compartment. Go find somewhere else to get your beauty sleep." Ed woke in a fury.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT YOU COULDN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIM AND AN ANT?!?" he bellowed, furious molten eyes meeting calm onyx ones. Mustang looked around the compartment at his awestruck friends. He raised one eyebrow.

"Well, as there is no one shorter in this room, obviously I must be referring to you," he said, smirking. Havoc observed Ed's rapidly reddening face and sidled over to Hughes.

"When did Mustang gain a death wish?" he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Hughes just laughed and clapped Havoc on the back.

"Don't worry about it. Roy can handle himself. In fact…" He dug around in his pocket, fishing out a silver coin. "One sickle says Roy comes away unscathed." Havoc shook his head.

"You're on," he said motioning toward Breda, Falman, and Fuery. A rapid round of betting erupted as the shouting match between Ed and Roy escalated, made even louder by the screeching owl next to Ed. In all the noise, no one noticed the entrance of a girl with shoulder length blond hair held up in a pin behind her head.

"Bombarda!" she yelled, flicking her wand. Everyone in the room was blown back by the small explosion. Most of the boys paled as they saw who was at the door.

"Just what exactly is going on here?" the girl asked calmly, voice dangerous.

"Oh hey, Riza," Roy called cheerfully from where he was splayed on upside down on top of Ed, "I was just on my way to find you actually…" He stopped talking as the girl glared at him, reddish-brown eyes burning. Ed pushed Mustang off him roughly.

"Who are you?" Hawkeye asked, turning her gaze on him.

"None of your business," Ed muttered. The girl's wand twitched. "Edward Elric," he amended hastily. Havoc snickered, but was silenced by a glance from Hawkeye.

"First year?" she continued. Ed nodded.

"My name is Riza Hawkeye, Gryffindor prefect," Riza supplied. She glared over at Roy. "He is the other prefect, Roy Mustang, who was supposed to meet in the prefect compartment and patrol the train." Roy smirked.

"You seem to have things perfectly under control, Hawkeye" he commented, "You don't need me."

"That is not the point, _Mustang_," Riza said through gritted teeth.

"Hi Riza! Have I shown you the pictures from this summer yet?" Hughes said as he stood and brushed himself off, grinning. Hawkeye's face softened slightly with amusement as she turned towards him.

"Hello, Hughes, and yes. I don't believe there's a person on this train who hasn't seen your pictures yet."

"I'll bet the runt here hasn't," Roy supplied, picking himself up off the floor. Before Ed could open his mouth, Hughes had pounced. A fan of pictures was shoved into his face, and the tension in the room evaporated. Ed watched in interest, only half listening to Hughes gush over his girlfriend, as Riza dragged Roy out of the compartment lecturing him about "fighting with first-years."

"By the way, I'm Maes Hughes, Ravenclaw. I don't know if you remember me from the dress shop." Ed nodded as Hughes motioned the rest of the group over to introduce themselves.

"Jean Havoc, Gryffindor," the blond haired boy said, shaking his hand. "Nice ta meet ya, boss."

"Heymans Breda, Ravenclaw," the heavyset boy continued.

"Vato Falman, Ravenclaw," the grey haired boy commented stiffly.

"And I'm Kain Fuery, Hufflepuff," the small boy with glasses chimed in.

"You go by Ed, right?" Hughes asked as they all sat down on the benches. Ed nodded surprised that he had remembered. Hughes chuckled at Ed's expression and tapped his head.

"I'm a Ravenclaw. We're supposed to be smart and have good memories." He pointed over to Havoc. "Gryffindor's like him are supposed to be brave and loyal, though they're not always the smartest bunch." Havoc shrugged and grinned. Hughes continued on, "Hufflepuff's like Kain are hard workers and all around good people, and Slytherins—"

"Are a bunch of back stabbing, murderous gits," Havoc supplied helpfully. Hughes shook his head.

"Slytherins are known for their cunning, ambition, and resourcefulness," he finished.

"And also for being back-stabbing, murderous gits," Havoc repeated.

"They're not all bad," Hughes argued, "Armstrong for instance—"

"Would throw you to the wayside without a second glance if you got in her way," Havoc interrupted bluntly.

"Well, what about that Solaris girl? She's quite a looker." Breda, Falman, and Fuery watched the exchange with interest. When Ed deemed that their attention had shifted from him, he excused himself and set off for the baggage car. He needed to talk to Al.

* * *

**A/N: This ended up being a lot longer than it was supposed to be, but I couldn't find a good way to end it. Oh well, I hope that makes up for it being so long since the last chapter. And in case I haven't mentioned this before, this is based on the manga, as I haven't seen the first anime and have no plans to do so anytime soon.**


	6. Strange Encounters

**Author's Note: So, I didn't die or anything. My apologies for the extremely late update. I had to focus on actually passing chemistry, but school is done for the summer now, and updates should become more regular again.**

**To answer some questions: Most of the characters from Harry Potter, including Harry, Hermione, and Ron will not be appearing in this fic. Mainly the teachers will stay the same. I consider this more of an FMA fic, so that's the explanation for that. If you really wanted to, you could consider this more of an AU fic, but that's up to you. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: All I own at the moment are a few crackers and a pillow. Oh, and some flowers.**

* * *

Locating the baggage car wasn't a problem. Actually getting to it, however, was another matter entirely. After obtaining many new bruises and giving out more than his fair share of angry rants on his epic journey through the train, Ed was in a foul mood as he yanked open yet another compartment door. The students inside looked up in interest as he stormed through the car with nary a glance at its occupants.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Elric boy," one of them drawled lazily, causing Ed to stop in mid-stride. He took in the three occupants of the room at a glance: a large boy eating noisily at the table sitting next to a beautiful girl who was looking out the window, and a kid he couldn't see well lying on the seat across from them. His sharp gaze rested on the last occupant, assuming him to be the one who had spoken.

"How do you know who I am?" he demanded, folding his arms over his chest. The kid grinned widely and sat up, revealing startling purple eyes and a face framed by spiky green hair. He propped his face in his hands as he leant on the table. The girl in the corner frowned slightly, shifting so she could watch the exchange more easily.

"Oh, you know, we hear things around and about," the student continued, eyes mischievous. "The tidbits we hear about you are _fascinating_." Ed's face paled. The boy waved one hand dismissively, noting Ed's reaction, and added, "That's only if the rumors are true, of course." He smirked and stuck out his hand. "I'm Livius, by the way. It means 'to envy' in Latin." The girl shot him a warning glare.

"Shut up, Livy," she ordered. "No one wants to hear you talk." The boy just grinned wider and pulled back his hand when Ed refused to acknowledge it.

"Oh come on, _Solaris_. I'm just having a little fun with the troubled firstie," he goaded, shrugging innocently. Solaris glared at him again.

"Don't make me tell Father," she warned. Livius frowned and leaned back against the wall, pouting.

"No need to go all drastic. Sheesh," he huffed as he laid back down, muttering to himself. "Way to kill all the fun in my life." Solaris nodded, and glanced dismissively at Ed as she pointed at the door.

"You can leave now," she said in a tone that made it more of an order than a request. The large boy next to her looked up suddenly, his food gone.

"Can I eat him?" he asked, looking at Ed curiously. Any further questions Ed had died in the back of his throat. The blank look in the boy's eyes freaked him out beyond anything he had ever felt before. Turning, he hurried out the door as Livius burst into fits of laughter behind him.

"Why am I surrounded by idiots?" Ed heard Solaris mutter as he slammed the door shut.

"And the walking palm tree says _I'm_ troubled," he thought to himself, shaking his head and putting the conversation out of his mind as he continued on his way to the baggage car.

* * *

Al was bored. He had been stuffed unceremoniously into the baggage car hours earlier. The porters had thought he was just an average suit of armor, and it wasn't like he could ask them to be a little more careful. He sighed as he sat on the floor doodling aimlessly in the dust with one finger, sketching alchemical circles without a second thought.

"You might want to be more careful about what you draw," he heard a voice remark. Al spun around in surprise, losing his balance and falling over in a crash of metal. The boy who had spoken winced. "You might also want to be a little quieter," he added. Al picked himself up, rubbing his head sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said, "You surprised me, that's all." The boy's dark eyes narrowed.

"You can talk," he stated, gaze wary and curious at the same time as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe. "None of the suits of armor talk, at least as far as I know." Al could have kicked himself for his carelessness. "Do not talk to students" was the only rule he had been given, and he broken it before even arriving at Hogwarts. "A suit of armor that can talk and knows alchemy," the black-haired boy mused aloud, continuing to watch Al squirm, "Hogwarts sure picked up some interesting items this year. What exactly are you? Some sort of ghost?"

"Uhhh—" Al didn't know what to say that wouldn't cause more problems.

"Al!" Both the suit of armor and the other boy turned around at the interruption. In the doorway, Ed's eyes widened.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he growled, pointing an accusing finger at the other boy. Mustang smirked.

"I should be asking you that same question, kid. Nobody's supposed to be in the baggage car," he stated, preparing for Ed to blow up at him again. Instead, he was surprised to see a scared edge in Ed's eyes as he just glared up at him defiantly.

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Ed muttered after a second, turning his head away, but showing no inclination of leaving. Mustang watched him thoughtfully. He thought he had gotten the kid's measure earlier and had pinned him as just another spoiled brat with a quick temper, but his behavior now intrigued him. He wondered what had put the kid so on edge. From behind him Al watched the exchange in silence, worried for his brother.

"Well?" Ed said finally, to break the silence. He hunched his shoulders as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Well what?" Mustang replied. Ed shuffled awkwardly, surprising him again. He had seemed so confident and assured earlier.

"Never mind," Ed muttered, turning to go. "I've got other stuff to do." Mustang snapped out of his retrospective mood and pulled out his wand.

"Hold it," he ordered, pointing his wand at Ed's back. "I want answers." Ed shot him a dismissive glance over his shoulder.

"Well, you're not going to get any, so back off," he snapped angrily, turning to go once more.

"Petrificus totalus," Mustang uttered quickly with a flick of his wand. He didn't notice the armor behind him jerk forward as Ed fell frozen to the ground. "Now," he said, stepping towards Ed, "What were you really doing back here?" He smirked and added offhandedly, "As a prefect, it's my job to look after the first years and make sure they don't make trouble after all."

"Which is why you're hiding in the baggage car, is it? Because there are so many first years to 'look after'?" Mustang flinched and looked up at the wand pointed straight between his eyes held by his furious looking fellow prefect.

"Why hello, Hawkeye," Mustang said smoothly while at the same time backing up ever so slightly and raising his hands, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"You didn't expect me to find you here, you mean," Hawkeye corrected bluntly. She looked down at Ed and waved her wand. "Finite." Ed muttered curses as his body unfroze and rose unsteadily to his feet. "Are you all right?" Hawkeye asked concernedly. Ed spun around slowly until he was facing Mustang, then punched him squarely in the face with his right hand.

"Now I am," he said savagely as Roy yelped and stumbled backwards, only to be caught by the living suit of armor.

"Thanks," Mustang mumbled, voice sounding slightly odd as he gingerly felt his nose. Al nodded and stepped back. Roy glared at Ed as his nose began to bleed heavily. "What the heck do you have in your glove? It feels like I just took a bludger to the face." Riza sighed, although a slight smile tugged the corners of her mouth.

"You deserved it with the way you've been acting today," she said, stepping forward. "Let me see," she ordered, taking hold of his chin and tilting his head back and forth. "Looks like you broke it," she concluded after a moment.

"I didn't break it!" Mustang protested angrily. "That little runt over there did!" He pointed over Hawkeye's shoulder at Ed, whose face flushed red.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE THAT HE CAN RIDE ON AN ANT?" he yelled, stalking forward. An armored hand stopped him, and Ed looked up in surprise to Al's face as he shook his head. If Hawkeye showed any surprise at the suit of armor's continued interactions, she hid it well as she turned back to Mustang.

"Episkey," she said briskly, tapping Roy's nose. Mustang hissed in pain as the cartilage suddenly realigned.

"Warn me before you do that," he muttered irritably to Hawkeye who calmly handed him a handkerchief. She turned so she could look at both Ed and Mustang who both watched her warily and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well," she said finally, glancing at her now blood-stained handkerchief with a rueful grimace, "Hughes owes me a sickle. He bet that you would come away from this unscathed." Mustang gaped at her.

"You actually bet on something?" he asked as he pulled the handkerchief away from his nose, the blood finally having stopped gushing. "You always get mad at us for betting, and wait, why were you betting against me?"

"Yes I bet on something," Hawkeye answered tersely, "And I bet against you because you were being an arrogant git." Mustang gaped at her again, as Ed let out a bark of laughter.

"You just called me a git," he said slowly. "You really must be annoyed at me." Hawkeye's eyes narrowed.

"Whatever gave you the impression that I was not?" she asked frostily. "First, you ditch me at the prefects' meeting, then I find you arguing with a first year who we're supposed to be welcoming to, then you ditch me again when we're supposed to be patrolling the cars, and when I finally find you you're torturing the same first year from before in the baggage car that neither of you—" She shot a glare at Ed, who flinched, "should be in. Tell me I don't have very good reasons to be annoyed, Roy Mustang." Roy seemed to shrink with each accusation. He avoided Riza's gaze as he ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"Look, I'm sorry, all right?" he muttered in exasperation. Riza's eyes narrowed.

"No, not all right. You're the one who wanted to be a prefect, Roy. At least act like one! You don't get to have all the privileges and none of the responsibilities. That's not how it works," Hawkeye argued.

"I know that!" Roy snapped back, standing up abruptly, and causing Hawkeye to take a step back. He glanced at Ed and Al watching curiously from the sidelines before sighing and continuing in a much softer tone. "I'm really sorry, okay? I'm just…scared." Riza frowned in confusion as Mustang ran a hand through his hair again, embarrassed. Ed gave a disbelieving snort that was not quite silenced by his brother. Roy shot a pointed look their way, then turned back to Hawkeye. "I'd rather not discuss it further, if you don't mind." Riza looked like she did mind, but she nodded anyway.

"Well, I'm glad you two got that all worked out," Ed stated, clapping his hands together with mock cheerfulness. "Am I allowed to leave now?" He wanted to get out of there while they were still distracted with their own problems.

"Of course," Hawkeye said. "I apologize for Roy's behavior."

"Hold up a minute," Mustang added, ignoring Riza's warning glare as he walked up to Ed. He stuck out his hand. Ed just looked at him with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "I wanted to apologize to you myself, that's all. No hard feelings?" Mustang asked.

"Yeah, sure, no hard feelings," Ed muttered as he reluctantly shook Roy's hand.

"Oh good," Mustang answered too innocently for Ed's liking. He pulled his hand away quickly, but realized too late that Mustang had a firm hold on his glove. He hissed in anger as Mustang yanked on the glove, exposing his automail hand for everyone to see.

"Well," Mustang said after a moment of surprised silence, "that explains why I felt like a bludger hit me."

"What happened to you?" Hawkeye asked quietly, coming up behind Mustang.

"None of your business," Ed muttered sullenly. Mustang regarded him silently, a puzzled expression on his face. The scared edge was back in Ed's eyes.

"You're hiding something," Roy said slowly after a moment. "But what?" Al shifted nervously behind Ed, making Mustang notice him. "A suit of armor that can use alchemy…" he mused aloud, "and can talk." Hawkeye's eyebrows rose as she observed Al closely for the first time, but she remained silent. Mustang glanced at Ed then back to the suit of armor. "Al?" he asked, remembering Ed's earlier outburst. He looked back to Ed and his exposed automail, putting the pieces together in his head.

"What the hell did you do?" he shouted, grabbing Ed by the collar and slamming him against the wall.

"Brother!" Al yelled without thinking, reaching out.

"Brother?" Hawkeye asked in the ensuing stunned silence. Mustang looked almost as surprised as she did, then he turned back to Ed.

"That's forbidden for a reason, you stupid idiot! Do you just think the rules of alchemy don't apply to you?" Ed glared at him.

"What are you talking about?" Hawkeye asked.

"Human transmutation," the suit of armor spoke up. Hawkeye paled noticeably.

"Al," Ed growled warningly.

"We might as well tell them the truth, now, brother. They've figured out most of it anyway," Al reasoned. Mustang felt the fight go out of Ed at his brother's words. He loosened his grip and stepped back. Ed slumped to the floor and gave a harsh laugh.

"How do you two even know so much about alchemy anyway? It's supposed to be a lost art," he muttered, placing his head in his hands.

"My father is an alchemist," Hawkeye answered quietly, face blank when Ed looked up at her in surprise.

"I've always had an interest in alchemy," Mustang put in, shooting a glance at Hawkeye. "Even though there aren't that many alchemists left, I've studied under a few, and there's an alchemy teacher at Hogwarts right now, although she doesn't hold regular classes for it."

"Just my luck," Ed snorted. "I find the two people on this train who can actually understand what we did."

"Oh, there's a handful of other students who would understand," Mustang remarked, "I'm not the only one who has had alchemy lessons."

"Not helping," Hawkeye pointed out. Mustang ran a hand through his hair.

"Right, sorry," he apologized. He looked up at Al, then back down at Ed. "Why did you do it?" he asked. "The three unbreakable laws were drummed into my head before I was allowed to even think about transmuting anything: Don't oppose the government. Don't make gold. Don't create humans. Did you think the laws were in place just for larks?"

"We wanted to see Mom's smile again," Al spoke up quietly. "We wanted to hear her laugh, hear her say she was proud of us. We wanted to feel her warmth and have her hold us again. That's all we wanted." His voice dropped to a whisper at the end. Ed remained silent, head down in his arms. Only Al saw the look of pain and understanding that crossed both the prefects' faces.

"So now what?" Mustang asked. Ed looked up.

"We'll find a way to get our bodies back no matter what," he said determinedly, "If I have to go through Hogwarts book by book and brick by brick, I'll do it, and if that doesn't lead to the answers, I'll go to the Ministry and search that, and then all of Europe, and then all the world. I won't stop until my brother's body is returned, that's all I care about." The strength and intensity in his gaze made Mustang take a step back.

"Well all right then," he said turning to go, "We'll leave you to it." He signaled to Hawkeye who fell in behind him.

"That's it?" Ed spluttered behind him, "After all that, you're just going to leave?"

"I got my answers; that's all I wanted, so yeah, see ya!" Mustang waved with a smirk as he stepped out of the car. Hawkeye shook her head, smiled reassuringly at Ed and Al, then stepped out as well and shut the door behind her.

"Bastard," Ed spat angrily, before descending into contemplative silence.

"Hey, Brother?" Al asked cautiously after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Who exactly were those people?"

* * *

"What do you think?" Hawkeye asked as she followed behind Mustang towards their friends' compartment. Mustang looked thoughtful.

"I think that kid would make a good seeker," he commented after a moment. "He's definitely small enough for it, but I don't know how much metal he has on his body. All we saw was the hand. I don't know how much that would slow him down. For that matter, I don't even know if he can fly. And he's a first year too, drat. What do you think?" He turned to Hawkeye, who gaped at him.

"You're thinking about Quidditch at a time like this?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, I am the captain after all. What else would I be thinking about?" he asked in return. Hawkeye wondered if he'd finally gone mad.

"Well first off, there's the matter of human transmutation—" she began.

"What human transmutation?" Roy asked innocently, eyes wide. Then Hawkeye understood.

"I think he would make an excellent seeker," she commented off-handedly. Roy smiled as they began to walk again. "Although you don't know what house he'll be put in yet," Hawkeye warned. Roy shrugged.

"I can hedge my bets, can't I?"

**A/N: All right, well that was a really long chapter. I hope it makes up for the long delay. I think they're arriving at Hogwarts next chapter, with the sorting and everything, but don't quote me on that. I usually don't have any idea what's going to happen in a chapter until I sit down to write it. Heck, you guys probably have more of an idea about what's going on than I do.**


	7. The Sorting Ceremony

**Author's Note: Hello again! I hope you enjoy this chapter because it was a pain to write. I'm not very good at rhyming…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist, or A Very Potter Musical (from which I took a line. See if you can spot it!)**

* * *

Ed was in a much better mood by the time the train reached the station. Of course, the sight of a wildly grinning Maes Hughes being chased throughout the train by a furious Roy Mustang in hot pink robes had amused almost everyone. Hughes' own robes were still smoking from the hexes that Mustang had shot at him when they stepped off the train.

"Firs' years, with me! This way! Firs' years!" a giant of a man bellowed as the students on the train disembarked.

"That's Hagrid, the gamekeeper here," Hughes supplied. "You're supposed to go with him." Ed nodded gratefully and headed over.

"Hope to see you in Gryffindor!" Havoc called after him, waving. Ed turned to wave back and promptly tripped over the prone figure of a boy collapsed on the station floor.

"What the—" Ed began angrily.

"So hungry…" the boy interrupted, stomach rumbling loud enough for Ed to hear. Before Ed could respond, two massive hands lifted both of them in the air by their collars.

"Yeh two are the last firs' years," Hagrid announced from behind his bushy beard, peering at the two of them. "Yer supposed ter get in the boats."

"Boats?" Ed asked, paling. He had tried swimming with his metal limbs once, with disastrous results. Hagrid nodded as he carried them down the path to the lake.

"How'd you know we were first years?" the other boy piped up. Ed noticed he spoke with a slight accent. Hagrid brought the boy up to eye level and looked him over curiously, noting his long black hair tied back in a ponytail and slanted eyes.

"Yer not from aroun' here, are yeh," he stated. The boy shook his head. Hagrid shrugged and continued, "I don' recognize yeh, and only firs' years are as small as yeh two."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF RICE!" Ed yelled, voice echoing loudly on the silent path. The other boy and Hagrid looked at him in stunned silence. Then Hagrid chuckled.

"Yer a feisty one, aren't yeh?" he asked as he held up the wildly struggling Ed easily. "Wouldn't be surprised a bit if yer a Gryffindor with that temper." He puffed out his chest. "Was one meself, yeh know." As they rounded the corner of the path, Hogwarts came into view across the lake, and Ed quit struggling, looking at it in awe. The foreign boy looked at the castle critically, only slightly impressed. He shrank back a bit in Hagrid's grip as the other first years came into view.

"Young lord!" a girl called, running up with an expression of worry and frustration on her face. The boy sighed.

"I've told you before, Ranfan. It's just Ling while we're here," he said. He tapped Hagrid on the arm. "Do you mind putting me down now?" he asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry 'bout that." Hagrid dropped the two boys on the ground in front of an empty boat. "Hop in now. We've the Sorting to get to, and McGonagall won' be happy if we're late." He headed off to his own boat.

"Who's Mcgonagall?" Ling asked Ed as they climbed in. Ed shrugged as they set off, more focused on wondering how the boats were moving by themselves.

"She's the deputy Headmistress or something like that, I think," he answered, peering down into the murky water.

"By the way, my name's Ling, Ling Yao," the boy introduced. He jerked his thumb behind him at the girl. "This is Ranfan." Ed looked up, annoyed that Ling had interrupted his examinations.

"Ed," he said shortly, going back to his observations. He didn't notice the girl turn a furious shade of red.

"You will show the young lord more respect," she hissed, fists clenched. Ling sighed in frustration as Ed looked up again.

"I know you've spent your whole life knowing me as the young lord, but it's just Ling here," he repeated firmly. "We really don't need more attention drawn to us than is necessary," he added more quietly. Ranfan nodded, shamefaced.

"What exactly are you?" Ed asked Ling, his curiosity piqued. Ling flopped dramatically in the boat, making Ed pale as it rocked wildly.

"Right now, I'm starving," he moaned. "I don't suppose you have anything to eat?" he asked hopefully, raising his head. Ed searched his pockets.

"All I have is a few chocolate frogs—" Ed began. Ling grabbed the candy before he could finish his sentence. "But they're mine." Ed scowled as Ling stuffed the chocolate into his mouth.

"What'd you say?" Ling mumbled as he chewed quickly. Ed waved a hand at him irritably.

"Never mind, eat all you want," he muttered. He watched in some amazement the speed at which Ling devoured the food.

"So, this Dumbledore's the Headmaster here?" Ling asked, looking at one of the cards he had received. Ed nodded. Ling observed the card for a few more moments, then flicked it back to Ranfan who caught it expertly. "Doesn't look like much, does he? Although the card says he did some work in alchemy. Could be worth a shot, I suppose." He leaned back nonchalantly, whistling. Ranfan shook her head, stuck the card inside her robes, and settled down to glaring at Ed.

"Why do I meet the weirdest people?" Ed mumbled to himself. The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence. Ed watched as the castle grew closer, craning his neck upwards to catch one last glimpse of it before the boats passed through a curtain of ivy into a dark tunnel. Even Ling fell silent as they beached the boats in a small harbor beneath the castle.

"Nobody fall in the lake on the way here?" Hagrid called, stepping out of his boat. Silence. "All righ' then. This way." The first years followed behind as he led the way up a passageway to the main entrance to the castle. He pounded on the door three times. It opened at once to reveal a tall, black-haired woman in emerald green robes.

"There you are, Hagrid," she exclaimed. "I was beginning to think someone had drowned. The students are getting restless." Ed peered curiously around Hagrid's huge form to get a better look at the witch.

"Sorry 'bout that, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid apologized. "Had some latecomers." The woman frowned.

"Well, we can't do anything about that now. First years, follow me!" she called, turning on her heel and setting off across the front hall briskly. Most of the first years had to trot to keep up, giving Ed little time to observe his surroundings. He could hear the hum of voices coming through a doorway to the right, but they passed by and into a small chamber. When everyone had entered, Professor McGonagall closed the doors and turned around.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "Very shortly, you will be sorted into one of four houses here: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Each house has its own legacy and has produced witches and wizards of the highest caliber. This is one of the most important ceremonies here, as your house will be like your family here. Also, during the year, you can win and lose points for your house. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the house cup, a great honor here."

Ed rolled his eyes, already bored. The professor's eyes flicked to him, and her frown deepened.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly in front of the rest of the school," she continued. She turned and opened the door. "I will return when we are ready for you." The door shut with a soft click, and the first years broke into nervous conversations.

"I've heard that Slytherin's the worst—"

"I hope I'm in Ravenclaw."

"We'll probably have to do a spell or something—"

"What do you think?" Ling asked quietly as he came up behind Ed, Ranfan trailing behind him like a shadow. Ed shrugged without turning around.

"Why are you asking me?" he retorted.

"Because we're friends!" Ling exclaimed, smiling brightly. Ed turned around at his statement.

"We are not friends," he said firmly. "I've known you for less than an hour."

"But you gave me food, for which I am forever in your debt," Ling protested, bowing. Ed rolled his eyes.

"I didn't give you anything. You just took it," he pointed out.

"For which I am grateful that you allowed me to do so," Ling interjected smoothly. He straightened and a sly gleam came into his eyes. "What is wrong with being friends? I believe we could be of use to each other, especially with the alchemy you know." Ed stiffened, but before he could respond, Professor McGonagall returned and both Ling and Ranfan had melted away into the back of the crowd of first years. Professor McGonagall clapped her hands.

"Form a line now and follow me," she commanded, striding out of the room and into the Great Hall. The sight of the Great Hall drove Ling's words out of Ed's mind for the moment. Thousands of gleaming candles floated in midair, illuminating the hundreds of students sitting at the four long tables. Ed craned his head upwards to look at the star-studded ceiling. He knew it was enchanted, but it was still amazing.

"There's _ghosts_," the student behind him whispered, drawing his attention back down to the tables, where he could now make out the silvery shapes of people scattered throughout the four tables.

Professor McGonagall led the first years up to what had to be the teacher's table and lined them up so they were facing the other students. Ed could see Mustang and his friends scattered throughout three of the four tables. Mustang himself was sitting at the far left table next to Hawkeye and Havoc looking bored. He smirked when he caught Ed's eye; although the effect was slightly ruined by Hawkeye elbowing him in the ribs. Ed scowled and turned his attention to McGonagall who had placed a stool in front of the first years. She then pulled out an extremely old, pointed wizard's hat, placed it on the stool, and stepped back. An expectant silence fell over the whole room as everyone stared at the hat. The hat seemed to shake itself off. Then a rip in the brim opened and the hat began to sing:

"_It's been a while and so I say_

_Welcome to you all_

_I'm glad to see each one of you_

_Here in this Great Hall._

_Faces come and go here_

_While I alone remain_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_Of great renown and fame._

_You may think me old and tattered _

_But your thoughts I'll clearly see_

_To do my job to sort and gather_

_I wonder what House you'll be?_

_Perhaps in brave old Gryffindor_

_Where courageous deeds are praised_

_Those who when the time is right_

_Stand steadfast and unafraid._

_Or maybe in wise Ravenclaw_

_You'll find your talents drawn_

_With intellect of great renown_

_Their clever mind's their pawn._

_Or yet in gentle Hufflepuff_

_You'll find what it is you seek_

_Just and loyal, unafraid of toil_

_They're anything but weak._

_Or last, but not least, sly Slytherin_

_Where cunning minds prevail._

_Ambition is their greatest gift_

_To achieve their ends without fail._

_So hurry up and put me on_

_I've got a job to do._

_I'll tell you right where you belong_

_Without too much ado."_

As the song ended, the hat bowed to each of the four tables as everyone burst into applause. As the applause died down, the hat became quite still once again, and McGonagall stepped forward with a roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, please step forward, sit on the stool, and place the hat on your head to be sorted," she ordered and began calling names in alphabetical order off the list. "Brosh, Denny!"

A boy with sandy blond hair stepped out of line nervously and walked up to the stool. He put on the overlarge hat and sat down.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted after a long pause. The table slightly to the right burst into cheers and applause as Denny went to go sit at the Hufflepuff table, where he was swept up in a giant hug by an older boy who had for some reason removed his shirt and was surrounded by sparkles.

They both sat down and the Sorting went on, although Ed noticed that the hat didn't always take the same amount of time to decide a person's house. Some students, it mulled over for quite some time, while others, it barely had to touch their head. Soon enough, "Elric, Edward!" was called, and he walked up to the stool and placed the hat on his head, ignoring the nervous feeling in his stomach. Everything went dark as the hat fell over his eyes.

"You're an interesting one," a small voice whispered in his ear after a few moments. "I'm not really sure what to do with you. An alchemical genius with courage to spare, a cynical sense of justice, and a great thirst to prove yourself. Hmm… What am I going to do with you?" The hat fell silent.

"_Will you just get on with it?_" Ed thought after a few moments, beginning to sweat under the heavy hat.

"Ah, of course, forgive me," the hat chimed in. "When you're as old as I am, you forget how impatient young people are. Let's see… You would do well in Ravenclaw. You've definitely got the mind for it. That courage of yours would flourish in Gryffindor though, and a good mind is not unappreciated there either. Then there's Slytherin. You definitely have the cunning and resourcefulness to fit in there. Or there's Hufflepuff where your sense of loyalty and justice would serve you well. And if you're looking for something, that's the house to be in. Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders."

"_What the hell is a Hufflepuff?_" Ed thought irritably, wanting to get this over with. He could hear the crowd starting to murmur outside.

"I suppose I should put you somewhere where that temper of yours won't do too much damage," the hat continued. "Then again…" Ed sighed as he waited for the hat to go into another lengthy discussion.

Instead, he was startled when the hat shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"After all," the hat reasoned before Ed pulled it off his head. "Your favorite color is red." Ed scowled and removed the hat.

"Great," he muttered to himself as the table on the farthest left broke into applause. He sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table next to a pale girl with short black hair. Havoc flashed him a thumbs up before he turned his attention to the rest of the ceremony.

"Fu, Ranfan" was called next and was made a Gryffindor without too much thought on the hat's part. She came and sat down across from Ed, only acknowledging his presence with a flick of her eyes before focusing on the rest of the sorting. Ed noticed that she appeared more and more uncomfortable as Professor McGonagall went down the list. Finally, "Yao, Ling" was called, and Ed watched with interest. The hat took almost as long to decide his house as it had Ed's, but eventually the hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!" and the sorting was done.

* * *

**A/N: To Kiminaru, yes I will put Ling in the story, and to everyone else, thank you for reading!**


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